Must-Reads from Around the World: April 16, 2012

Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, makes a farright salute as he enters the Oslo district courtroom at the opening of his trial on April 16, 2012

Protest This – The Jerusalem Postwrites that the IDF condemned an officer Monday who was filmed striking a pro-Palestinian activist with his gun. A video posted on YouTube by the International Solidarity Movement showed Lt.-Col. Shalom Eisner, deputy commander of the Jordan Valley Brigade, taking his M-16 and slamming it in the face of a Danish activist, who falls to the ground and is carried away by fellow activists.

Spain’s Sins – Philanthropically funded, not-for-profit news and features website Global Mailreports on the worsening conditions for migrants in south-eastern Spain. “As Europe’s economic crisis puts pressure on the cost of everything, the squeeze is leading to potentially explosive conditions in south-eastern Spain, where illegal African immigrants slave for a pittance in Europe’s salad bowl,” it says.

Not Yet – Thailand’s the Nationreports on fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s visit to Cambodia at the weekend, where he “reiterated his wish to end his life in exile and make a longed-for comeback to Thailand this year.” But the paper says the controversial, wealthy leader of the red-shirt political faction believes the time is not yet right for his return.

Hold Your Horses – In the wake of two racehorses being put down after Britain’s Grand National horse race, the Evening Standard makes what it calls the “perfectly reasonable” argument that the death of a couple of horses is a worthwhile sacrifice for “all that fun and jollity” the high-profile sports event brings. However, the Daily Mail runs a piece by a vet condemning the race as a “cruel spectacle.”

Courting Controversy – On the first day of right-wing extremist Anders Breivik’s trial for massacring 77 people in Norway, AFP is running a live report of the courtroom, describing the “smug look on his face,” as he watches the film he made alongside his manifesto. A 23 year old survivor of the attack explains to an AFP reporter that “I don’t want to give him all the attention he is wishing to get here.” The Guardian reports Breivik claiming “self-defence” as his motive.

Militantly Prioritizing – In light of Kim Jong-un’s first public speech following North Korea’s publicly failed rocket launch, The Sydney Morning Herald predicts that the leader will be tied in to the “military first” policies of his predecessor, due to the “puny size of the economy” and lack of “diplomatic clout.” The Telegraph criticizes Kim Jong-un’s “first foray into foreign policy” as “disastrous.”